Healthcare Services Group, Inc. $HCSG Holdings Decreased by Towle & Co.

Towle & Co. reduced its position in shares of Healthcare Services Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:HCSG) by 44.1% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 216,138 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 170,674 shares during the period. Towle & Co. owned about 0.31% of Healthcare Services Group worth $4,009,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its stake in Healthcare Services Group by 80.2% during the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 1,981,840 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $33,354,000 after purchasing an additional 882,213 shares during the last quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd lifted its position in shares of Healthcare Services Group by 1,116.3% in the 2nd quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 448,806 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $6,746,000 after buying an additional 411,908 shares during the last quarter. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC acquired a new position in shares of Healthcare Services Group in the 2nd quarter valued at about $4,653,000. Kennedy Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Healthcare Services Group by 69.7% in the 3rd quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC now owns 725,390 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $12,208,000 after buying an additional 297,976 shares during the period. Finally, Nuveen LLC grew its position in shares of Healthcare Services Group by 29.2% during the 4th quarter. Nuveen LLC now owns 1,282,492 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $24,521,000 after buying an additional 290,019 shares during the last quarter. 97.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HCSG has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of Healthcare Services Group from $22.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on Healthcare Services Group from $22.00 to $24.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Benchmark increased their price target on Healthcare Services Group from $28.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Zacks Research downgraded Healthcare Services Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Healthcare Services Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, March 29th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Healthcare Services Group has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $24.50.

Healthcare Services Group Stock Performance

Shares of HCSG opened at $22.42 on Friday. Healthcare Services Group, Inc. has a one year low of $12.84 and a one year high of $25.75. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $22.59 and its 200-day moving average is $20.92. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.03 and a beta of 0.78.

Healthcare Services Group (NASDAQ:HCSG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 22nd. The business services provider reported $0.32 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.22 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $470.81 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $471.22 million. Healthcare Services Group had a net margin of 6.59% and a return on equity of 18.97%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted ($0.44) earnings per share. Analysts forecast that Healthcare Services Group, Inc. will post 1.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Healthcare Services Group Profile

Healthcare Services Group, Inc (NASDAQ: HCSG) is a leading provider of support services to healthcare facilities across the United States. The company specializes in environmental services, including housekeeping and sanitation, as well as linen and laundry management. In addition, Healthcare Services Group offers dietary and nutrition services, catering to hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, assisted living communities and other long-term care providers.

Founded as a family-owned business in the late 1970s, the company completed its initial public offering in 1997.